Weekly Update #6

This week has been spent doing truncation and proximity searching in Scirus. The most difficult thing has been narrowing the searches when using two similar terms,"lifelong learning" & "transformative learning" in the same search. I've also made final decisions on certain content to add to the annotated bibliography and written some of the annotations.

Weekly Update #5

I have finally come to a decision about the main categories to research and include in the relationships between distance learning technologies, lifelong transformative learning and 21st century sustainability study. The three main subjects have been subdivided into lesser topics.
Distance learning -> open learning (Commonwealth of Learning), computer-based instruction (CBI), knowledge economy
Transformative Learning -> theories , cognitive aspects, & effects of formal, informal learning (Freirian approach), and literacy
Sustainability-> basic needs (Maslowian theory), food production, alternative energy sources, & non-renewable resource conservation.

The past week has been spent doing advanced searches in Eric using terminology related to distance learning, informal learning, and literacy and recording the results in a list. I've also used the advanced search function in SCIRUS with open learning and sustainability terms and recorded the results.

Weekly Update #4

This week I started by looking in the help menu for the Scirus database and going through all the information about search procedures in it. I also reviewed information from EIS 500 presentations about advanced searching in Western's Online Library databases. I started with a basic search in Eric and a general search in Scirus, using distance learning, lifelong transformative learning, and sustainable living practices as subject and keyword terms. I'm also writing down questions to add to the IDT 516 discussion area this week. So far I've found a total of 8 sources to include in the annotated bibliography and read 6 of them.

Weekly Update #3

This past week, as I was finishing up the Netvibes portal, I spent a lot of time thinking about the research question for the final project which is," What are the relationships between current distance learning technologies, lifelong transformative learning, and sustainable living practices for the twenty-first century?" I've been going back over some of the previous 516 materials looking for and organizing definitions for and info on truncation, set building, field searching, quotation marks, proximity searching, and also trying to find any information available on terminology and methods for advanced searching in Scirus. I've also developed a plan and an outline for how I'm going to approach the 3 variables in the research question which are: 1. distance learning technologies 2. lifelong transformative learning 3. sustainable living practices. The most important thing I did this week was begin the introduction for the first draft of the document to be submitted 5/02/08.

21 Cent T Lit Portal once again

21st Century Transformative Literacy (21 CentT Lit) Portal